Choosing the Right Laptop

So you’ve decided to take a laptop on your next adventure. Now you have to choose a laptop to purchase. There are many options available to you, and they change almost monthly as technological innovations rapidly progress ahead.

It’s very hard to recommend a specific laptop since my recommendation would be outdated after several months so I’ll date my recommendations and try to keep them up to date. I did a lot of research into what computer would best fit our needs for my trip and found out that the computer I wanted wouldn’t be on the market until several months into our trip. So I brought along an old, heavy behemoth of a laptop that weighed 7 or 8 pounds and waited to order the new computer while on the road when it became available. That’s why we’re carrying two computers now, I just couldn’t depart with the old computer! I love the new computer, but after 8 months it's already outdated.

The way I figure it, if you’ve come to this page you are, well, umh, ‘technologically challenged’. Consequently the discussion which follows will not go into any discussions that require any more than a basic knowledge of computers. If there are any terms that you need to know, I’ve made their name a link – just click on them to get to a new page, read about that term, then close the window when finished. Furthermore I will not suggest any computer or device that takes any kind of technical know how. There are a lot of alternatives out there that would suit travelers very well but they take a fair amount of technical knowledge. If you are interested in these alternatives this is not the article for you.

Before you even start shopping for a laptop consider what you want to accomplish with it (see this article for some ideas). Here are a list of tasks (in order of importance) that you should be able to answer.

1. Will I be doing video editing, and if so, what quality? (see this article for more on this).
2. Where will I store and backup all pictures, video, etc. (see this article for some ideas) and will I need an DVD/CD drive?
3. What kind of conditions will I be in (wet, bumpy, etc.)

There are three terms you may need to know about in order to make an intellegent decision as to what laptop to purchase:

1. Solid State Drives (SSD)
2. CD/DVD drives
3. Linux

OK, so now you know what you are going to use the computer for and we’re ready to get down to the nitty-gritty of actually choosing a computer. Choose the category that fits your needs and I’ll give you a recommendation.

My needs are simple. I need a computer for email and storing the pictures from my camera. I may want to do some light duty video editing. I don’t care if the screen and keyboard are small, I just want the smallest, lightest, and cheapest laptop that will stand up to rigorous conditions I will be traveling in.

As of June, 2009 my recommendations would be a Dell Mini-9 or an ASUS Eee PC 901 .

My needs are somewhat simple. I need a computer for email and storing pictures from my computer, but would like to burn the pictures on a CD or DVD to send back home. I don’t care if the screen and keyboard are small, I just want the smallest, lightest, and cheapest laptop that will stand up to rigorous conditions I will be traveling in.

As of June, 2009 my recommendations would be a Dell Mini-9 or an ASUS Eee PC 901 with an external USB DVD/CD-Writer .

My needs are somewhat simple. I need a computer for email and storing pictures from my computer, and would also like to burn the pictures on a CD or DVD to send back home. I don’t want a tiny screen or keyboard and am willing to pay a bit more in terms of cost and weight for this.

As of June, 2009 my recommendations would be a Sony VAIO

My needs are ambitious. In addition to email and storing pictures, I want to do extensive photo editing and create some good quality movies. I would also like a CD/DVD drive. I don’t care if the screen and keyboard are small, I just want the smallest, lightest, and cheapest laptop that will stand up to rigorous conditions I will be traveling in.

As of June, 2009 my recommendations would be the ASUS Eee PC 904HA or the Acer Aspire One with an external USB DVD/CD-Writer .

My needs are ambitious. In addition to email and storing pictures, I want to do extensive photo editing and create some good quality movies. I would also like a CD/DVD drive. I don’t want a tiny screen or keyboard and am willing to pay a little bit more in terms of cost and weight for this.

I want the best. I need a computer that will do email and store all my photos. I will also produce quality videos. I will be traveling in deplorable conditions (bumpy roads, rain, heat, etc.) and I need something that will stand up under these brutal conditions. Durability and reliability take precedence over cost, weight, and size as long as they are within reason.

As of June 2009, I would recommend the Panasonic Toughbook W8

Tips: Here are some other things to think about when purchasing a computer:

• Linux is a great operating system, but I've met I think three travelers that couldn't get WiiFi to work correctly.
• Make sure the ports (eg. SDHC, USB, etc.) on your computer support what you are doing
• If you are using the computer for homeschooling, you'll probably want a larger screen (12" or bigger), not the small (8.9") screens that come with the ultrasmall computers.
• If you are traveling to a country that uses 220V, be sure you get a transformer that can be plugged into both 220V and 110V.
• Consider bringing a USB mouse if you are doing any intricate work. I depend on mine when I work in PhotoShop, video editing, or when I'm building web pages.